This invention shall be utilized in the field of surgery where surgical pins and or wires are utilized. Such surgical procedures are often performed to fixate fractured bones or to secure an anatomical stabilization device such as a halo or external fixator. Surgical pin or wire placement consists of inserting a portion of the surgical pin or wire through the patient's skin and into a bone while allowing a portion of the surgical pin or wire to extend outward from the patient's skin. The exposed pin or wire allows a fixation device to be attached. These surgical pins or wires must remain in position for some period of time depending on their intended purpose.
In the past other inventions such as patent numbers: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,943,293 & 5,360,020 & 5,702,388 & provisional application No. 60/701,346 are designs that consist of collars, retainers or clips intended to stabilize a wound dressing or sponge in place over a surgical pin site. These devices are deficient in three main areas. First they lack symmetrical wound compression. Second they lack a closed wound dressing environment. Third they fail to provide sufficient stabilization of the surgical pin or wire. Adequate wound compression is directly related to the precise geometric coupling between the wound dressing and wound dressing stabilization device being used. These prior inventions lack a wound dressing housing and therefore provide asymmetric wound compression. Such asymmetry could lead to unequal skin tension and possible skin breakdown and soft tissue necrosis. Without a closed wound dressing environment drainage from the surgical pin or wire site will communicate with the patient's adjacent skin. This in turn can allow bacteria upon a patient's skin to track into the surgical pin or wire site causing a subsequent infection. Poor stabilization of a surgical pin or wire is first due the inability of collars, retainers or clips to maintain adequate pressure on the patient's skin. Due to a lack of rigidity, and the inherent pliability of wound dressing materials, most of the downward pressure needed to stabilize the surgical wire or pin is absorbed by the wound dressing or sponge. Second, the close proximity between the securing device of prior inventions (collars, retainers or clips) with the wound dressing material being used provides an inferior point of fixation.
Specific problems following the application of surgical fixation pins or wires is the aftercare relating to pin site wound dressings. Ordinary wound dressings lack wound compression, leading to excessive bleeding and drainage around the pin sites. Furthermore, the continuity of drainage soaked wound dressings with the patient's adjacent skin permits bacterial proliferation. Such proliferation allows bacteria from the skin outside the surgical pin or wire site to be channeled into the surgical pin or wire site. These circumstances set the stage for wound infections. In addition, the common method for changing and maintaining wound dressings around surgical pin sites is ineffective and laborious to say the least. Attempting to wrap sterile dressings around surgical pin sites does not provide adequate wound coverage or compression. For medical staff it is also a time consuming process resulting in decreased time to care for other patients. For the patient, lack of compliance because of the complexity of changing their surgical pin or wire site dressings at home results in leaving drainage soaked pin or wire site dressings on for days. These combined circumstances predispose the patient to wound infections. Furthermore, the high volume of disposable medical wound dressings used, and increased medical waste from daily dressing changes, will increase health care costs.